Steve Harrington
| Steve Harrington | |
|---|---|
| Stranger Things character | |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | The Duffer Brothers |
| Portrayed by | Joe Keery |
| Information | |
| Nickname |
|
Search Steve Harrington on Amazon.
Steve Harrington is a fictional character from the Netflix television show Stranger Things, portrayed by Joe Keery. While starting out as a typical jock character, Steve has grown into a more paternal and caring character as the show has progressed, a development that has received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike and has led to Steve becoming one of the show’s most beloved and enduring characters.[1]
Fictional character biography[edit]
Season 1[edit]
Steve Harrington was initially portrayed as a stereotype of the 1980s jock characters. He was portrayed as being self-centered, antagonistic and generally unlikeable, despite his relationship with Nancy Wheeler. This is shown through his treatment of Jonathan Byers by breaking his camera, his flippant attitude towards the disappearance of Barbara Holland, and his payback against Nancy Wheeler by slut-shaming her by graffitiing a movie theater sign. Even Nancy’s brother Mike’s friends - Lucas Sinclair and Dustin Henderson - consider Steve to be “a douchebag”. However, Steve’s attitude changes once he sees the error of his ways after losing a fight to Jonathan Byers and seeing the antagonistic reactions from his friends. He ditches them and drives off to fix the graffiti on the movie theater and apologize to Jonathan and Nancy.
Once arriving at the Byers residence however, he is confronted by Nancy and Jonathan, both heavily armed, preparing to lure out and face the Demogorgon. Steve is thrust into battle against the Demogorgon, and once seemingly defeated, cowardly flees the household. Once Steve witnesses the lights begin blinking again however, Steve picks up the courage to save Nancy and Jonathan, and storms inside wielding a baseball bat with nails in it, and attacks the Demogorgon, allowing Nancy and Jonathan to defeat it. Once the Demogorgon is defeated, Steve and Nancy continue their relationship and bought Jonathan a new camera to replace the one he damaged.
Season 2[edit]
In Season 2, Steve is shown to be growing more as a person due to his relationship with Nancy. He comforts her while visiting the Holland’s, and seems to have mended his relationship with Jonathan. However after Nancy calls Steve out during a drunken tirade, Steve breaks up with her. Steve is also dealing with competition from new arrival at the school Billy Hargrove, who wants to dethrone Steve as the “King of the School”, something Steve no longer cares for. While on his way to apologize to Nancy for his behavior, Steve is intercepted by Dustin Henderson, who asks for his assistance with the nature of his “pet” D’Artagnan - who it is revealed is a Demogorgon. While searching for D’Artagnan, Steve and Dustin bond over how to talk to girls. Steve ends up becoming a protective figure over Dustin and his friends Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and eventually Mike Wheeler. Steve protects the kids from hoards of “Demodogs” and later from Max’s step-brother, Billy Hargrove. Despite losing a fight against Hargrove, Steve still wants to protect the kids, and begrudgingly assists them in distracting the Demodogs so Eleven and Jim Hopper can close the gate to the Upside Down, and so Nancy, Jonathan and Joyce Byers can exorcise the Mind Flayer from her son, Will. Months after the Mind Flayer incident, Steve is seen escorting Dustin to The Snow Ball, and giving him last minute advice on talking to girls before he goes.
Season 3[edit]
Now graduated from high school, Steve gets a job at "Scoops Ahoy!", an ice cream parlor at Hawkins' Starcourt Mall. He is taunted by his coworker, Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), due to his friendship with Mike and his friends, and his unsuccessful attempts to flirt with other girls. One day, Dustin brings him a message he picked up by his makeshift ham radio that is in Russian, and Steve and Dustin try to interpret it. However, they're overheard by Robin, who knows Russian, and reveals it a secret code involving a delivery to the mall. After seeing this delivery in person, the three enlist Lucas' sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) to help break into the warehouse. They find it is really an elevator deep into a Russian base under Starcourt. After trying to find a communications room to warn their friends on the surface, they instead find the Russians are trying to open a gate to the Upside Down. Steve wins his first fight against a Russian guard to get a keycard, but before they can escape, Steve and Robin are caught, drugged, and interrogated. Dustin and Erica come back to save them, return to the mall, and hide them in a movie theater. However, still woozy from the drugs, the two wander outside and end up in a bathroom, where Steve learns Robin went to school with him though never talked before, and though he finds her attractive, Robin is actually a lesbian. They regroup with Dustin, Erica, and the others as a giant Mind Flayer is headed for the mall. Steve and Robin drive Dustin and Erica to his radio to keep the groups in contact, then returns to the mall in time to stop a possessed Billy from ramming his car into Eleven's group. Steve and Robin join the battle inside to stop the Mind Flayer from attacking Eleven until Hopper and Joyce successful close the gate in the Russian base, killing it. Three months later, as the mall has burned down, Steve and Robin get jobs at the local Family Video store.
Reception[edit]
Steve Harrington is regarded by many as one of the best characters on the show, and as a prime example of positive character evolution and development.’While initially depicted as a generic popular jock in the first season, the character development of Steve Harrington in the second season of the show has been met with acclaim and has led to Steve becoming a fan-favorite character and critical darling on the show. The transition from stereotypical bully and lothario to a caring and protective character has been lauded by critics and audiences alike. Fans in particular enjoyed his budding friendship with Dustin Henderson and the protective way he began looking after the kids, which has led to many fans referring to him as “Mom Steve”.[2]
The progression of the character continued in the third season with the introduction of his co-worker Robin Buckley. The chemistry between actors Joe Keery and Maya Hawke was critically acclaimed, as was the development of a new comedic side to Steve’s character. In particular, Steve’s positive reaction to Robin’s coming out as lesbian has been praised for its thoughtful and understanding nature.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ "An Ode to Steve Harrington, the soft hero Stranger Things fans deserve". Vanity Fair. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ↑ "'Stranger Things' How Steve Harrington Became Season 2's Breakout Hero". Hollywood Reporter. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ↑ "Stranger Things knew Steve Harrington was it's best character, then it made him even better". Men’s Health. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
This article "Steve Harrington" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Steve Harrington. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
|
This page exists already on Wikipedia. |
